Firth will play a character named William Weatherall Wilkins, president of Fidelity Fiduciary Bank, in the sequel that will reportedly take place 25 years after the original. In it, Mary's former charges Michael and Jane Banks — now all grown up — get a visit from their whimsical onetime caretaker after a "personal loss."

On April 25, Disney confirmed that British actress Emily Blunt will portray the iconic Mary Poppins. Meryl Streep will play Poppin's cousin Topsy, and Lin-Manuel Miranda, who created and formerly starred in the hit musical Hamilton on Broadway, is set to co-star as Jack, a street lamplighter.

The follow-up film will be directed by Rob Marshall — who also directed Blunt and Streep in Disney's fairy-tale musical Into the Woods. A release date for the sequel has been set for December 25, 2018.

Blunt's casting continues her relationship with Disney — in addition to Into the Woods, she's worked with the studio on films like The Muppets and doing character voice-over work for Studio Ghibli's The Wind Rises, distributed in the U.S. by Disney.

The original Mary Poppins film grossed $100 million at the box office and won five Oscars. It's no wonder that Disney, in the midst of a revival boom (Cinderella, Alice Through the Looking Glass, The Jungle Book), would turn its eye towards the beloved magical nanny. Rob Marshall is set to direct the London Depression-era film, while John DeLuca and Marc Platt (Wicked) are on board to produce.

Blunt currently stars in another adaptation, the thriller The Girl on the Train.